Following the increased risk that independent news broadcasters face in Russia, many journalists have sought safer conditions elsewhere. Now, the Russian TV channel “TV Rain” has settled in (rainy) Amsterdam.
As Putin’s regime in Russia started prosecuting journalists opposing his war of aggression against Ukraine, freedom of speech and press has dwindled rapidly.
TV Regen komt naar Amsterdam!
Couldn't think of a more suitable place for the independent Russian TV station Dozhd/Дождь @tvrain, which was shut down in Russia, than Amsterdam – where it rains even now as I am tweeting this. https://t.co/SqRe1yShsH
For a while already, but increasingly so after the invasion, the term “independent journalism” has become synonymous with “anti-Russia propaganda” in Putin’s regime.
For TV Rain, this meant being blocked completely by the Russian state as part of an attempt to silence all opposition.
A popular alternative
The independent broadcaster has grown in popularity since its establishment more than 10 years ago, writes the NOS.
TV Rain provides a unique source of independent journalism for Russians in and outside of Russia, with the main goal of showing viewers what is really happening in Ukraine.
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With more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube, and a few million visitors every day, the platform has gained traction as the situation in Russia and Ukraine has worsened.
Times are changing
The new location also means new practices for the Russian broadcaster, who has had to change their main sources of information ever since the invasion of Ukraine.
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TV Rain has always been an independent actor in Russia, but the changed circumstances have forced the broadcaster to rely on anonymous journalists and informants to report on the Kremlin’s movements.
Despite significantly reduced access to information, TV Rain hopes its new base in Amsterdam will make for safer working conditions for its staff.
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